Truth's Redemption
by claw06
Summary: Truth sends the Elric brothers back in time to live their lives all over as payment for retrieving Al's body from the gate. Can they save the mother they so dearly missed and prevent themselves from making that costly mistake? And can Trisha figure out what's hurting her boys before it's too late? Roy/Ed YAOI
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Truth sends the Elric brothers back in time to live their lives all over as payment for retrieving Al's body from the gate. Can they save the mother they so dearly missed and prevent themselves from making that costly mistake? And can Trisha figure out what's hurting her boys before it's too late?**

 **Warnings: Time-Travel; AU; PTSD; Homunculus! Ed; Yaoi; Het; Nicer! Truth**

 **Pairings: RoyEd; Al/Winry; HavocRiza**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Truth stared at the human in front of him and for once in his existence, he felt regret. Guilt.

He was normally a very unbiased being...but when the sons of Hoenhiem had appeared before him all those years ago, he knew he'd been unfair. He had charged them both for their own crime and their father's, all for petty revenge and now the eldest stood before him once more, only seven years later, ready to make any sacrifice he would accept to give his brother another chance at _life_. A life beyond the cold armor he'd been bound to.

 **"You stand before me again, Edward Elric."** He greeted and the young alchemist nodded, topaz eyes full of determination. **"What is it you seek?"**

"My brother's body."

Truth sighed softly. As if he had expected otherwise.

 **"And in return?"**

A large gate appeared behind the child and Truth stilled as he realized just how far the boy would go to retrieve his brother's body.

"It's my Gate. Take my Gate and my arm, just please give Al his body back." He pleaded and the entity gave another sigh.

 **"I would like to offer an alternative."**

Edward stilled and stared at him, defeat heavy in his posture, clearly expecting the worst.

 **"When you and your brother appeared before me those years ago...I will admit that I charged you unfairly. Alphonse was only to lose his arm, just as you lost a leg. However, I was angry. I charged you for not only your Taboo but your father's as well and I was wrong for that,"** He paused watching the boy's face for any expression but finding none.

 **"I will return Alphonse's body to him. In return, you, your brother and five others will be sent to your past to relive your life over and you will take this."**

Truth held up a black, red-tinted stone and Ed faltered back a step in horror.

"A ph-philosophers stone?"

 **"The strongest one in creation. It will turn you into a homunculus...or rather a live homunculus. You will retain your ability to feel, to empathize, but only for those you care for. The rest you must find out on your own. You will keep your arm but your leg will remain as it is. Do you accept these terms?"**

Ed stared at him, at the stone, then nodded determined. Anything for Al to finally be out of that cold, _cold_ armor.

"I do."

Truth stepped forward and pressed the stone into the boy's chest directly over his heart.

 **"Very well. Good luck, Edward Elric."**

Edward raced past him, to his brother who looked up at him, wide-eyed.

"Ed?"

The older blond smiled.

"C'mon, let's get you outta here."

The younger blond nodded eagerly and clung to his brother's hand, hardly able to believe that they'd finally accomplished their goal. As they moved through the gate, however, he couldn't help but wonder what price his brother had paid in return.

* * *

It was the soft sound of humming that woke her.

The sound was so foreign, yet so familiar it made her eyes burn with tears.

 _Fly little bird, Fly far away_

 _Away from the cold and into the day_

 _Twirl and dance to the winds soft chimes_

 _And bask in the beauty of the open blue sky_

 _Fly little bird, Fly far away_

 _And sleep as you await another day_

Mother. _Her_ mother.

She curled in on herself, basking in the warmth of her mother's voice, before a sudden heart wrenching thought struck her.

This couldn't be real.

Her mother was dead.

 _Both_ of her parents were dead.

They'd set out to help out on the frontlines during the Ishvalan war and had never returned home. Instead they'd been killed by Scar only four years after the death of Trisha Elric.

…So how were they here now?

Her eyes flew open and she sat up only to gasp as she was met with her father's warm, worried gaze. He smiled at her and place one of his large, heavy hands on her forehead.

"Morning, princess. How do you feel?"

She frowned at him. The concern in his voice was so real…could it really be him?

"I-what happened?"

His brow furrowed and concern in his eyes deepened.

"You were heading over to Trisha's to play with the boys and you passed out. One of the paper boys found you and brought you home. Don't you remember?"

No…she didn't. But it did answer one of her questions. Whatever was going on, her boys were definitely involved. So until she could talk to them, she would just have to play it by ear.

With a fake smile and a blush, she nodded, vowing to speak with Ed the first chance she got.

* * *

He could see again.

He shivered, glancing around at the too familiar yet unfamiliar room around him. It was his older bedroom, the one he'd been assigned when he'd first joined the military.

…A room he hadn't slept in since the Ishvalan war.

The walls were a pale, boring grey, the room barren barring the spartan bed, desk, and wardrobe occupying it. A picture of him and his aunt Chris sat on the stand by his bed, the only thing that had never changed regardless of his residence.

With nary a sound he slipped from his bed and cautiously approached his mirror, his heart pounding in his chest as possibilities flooded his mind. There, in the mirror was a lean seventeen-year-old man staring back at him, confirming the worst of his suspicions.

He was back in the past.

What had Ed done?

* * *

She had to be dreaming.

She twisted and turned, marveling at the bare skin of her back, free of those horrible markings for the first time since her childhood. Her hair hung longer than she was used to, her body slimmer, younger than it had been when she'd finally collapsed of exhaustion and bloodloss.

Had Ed won?

A knock sounded on her bedroom door and she jolted, stilling as a familiar gruff voice sounded on the other side.

"Riza, get dressed. Major Mustang will be here in a little while."

"Y-yes, father." She replied, the raging storm inside her calming as she heard her best friend's/ superior's name.

If anyone could figure out what Ed had done it would be Roy, he knew the teen better than anyone. All she had to do was be patient. Her eyes narrowed as she realized she was unarmed.

And get herself another gun.

* * *

Something was wrong.

He was alone in his bed for the first time in almost three years, his wife's slender form no longer curled beside him like it normally was. In fact, he glanced around with a frown, this was not the bedroom him and Riza shared.

It was the bedroom at his parents' home, a place he hadn't been since his father's death almost a year previous, and his mother's years earlier.

What the hell was he doing here?

He reached up to grab a cigarette from his shirt pocket, only to find himself shirtless.

…and where the hell were his smokes?!

Somehow, he just knew this was that bastard Roy's fault.

* * *

" **This is your last chance, Van Hoenhiem. Do not fail him."**

He frowned lightly as he pondered Truth's words. He'd been surprised when he'd been pulled before the Gate shortly after Ed had vanished but the entity had explained nothing to him. Instead it had merely gazed at him blankly, then smirked widely, perfect teeth menacing.

Then with only that one statement it had allowed the gatekeepers to appear and drag him through the gate.

He thought it would be his death.

Instead he awakened in a hotel room, years in the past with one thought in mind.

It was time to go home to his family.

 **TBC…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Pain.

It lanced through every fiber of his being, setting nerve endings alight with hellfire and chilling them in arctic ice all at once. His muscles screamed with each seize and he gasped painfully, stilling as small, delicate hands gently shook his shoulder.

Hazed amber eyes slid open, one trembling hand catching the offending appendage.

"Brother?"

His fevered gaze cleared instantly and he shot into a sitting position, ignoring his body's protests.

His heart stopped in his chest.

Where there had been cold armor for so long, there was now flesh, warm and supple under his hand. Once blank crimson eyes were now a lively bronze color, short honey brown hair falling in a messy array around a childish face.

Al.

Al had his body back.

"It worked." He whispered and his brother nodded, a small frown crossing his features.

"But your leg-" Ed cut him off, pulling him into a warm embrace.

"It worked. It worked. It worked. It _worked!_ " The elder sobbed brokenly, the relief in his voice so overwhelming that the younger had to fight back tears.

"At what price? Brother, what did you do?"

Ed shook his head.

"Brother, please!"

Red-rimmed topaz eyes met his then looked down at the blanket covering their owner's slight frame.

"Al…look around you. Tell me where we are."

The younger boy looked around, his breath catching in his throat as he took in the familiar dark walls covered in childish scribbles, the wide window with fresh white curtains, and most importantly…the fact that his older brother looked to be no older than he had when their mother had died so long ago.

He fell back in shock, staring up at the older boy with wide eyes.

"B-Brother?"

Ed glanced at him, long golden hair falling over his shoulder and something in Al calmed at the sight. It was the only thing that had remained the same on his de-aged brother.

"We've been sent back in time by Truth…It was the only way I could get him to give you back to me."

Al's heart clenched as he heard how small his brother sounded…like he thought Al would be angry with him. The younger reached forward and hugged him tight, marveling at being able to feel the warmth of his brother's skin for the first time in years.

"How are we going to explain this to mom?" He asked changing the subject and Ed shrugged, then stiffened.

"Oh my god." He whispered and the younger alchemist pulled back to stare at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm seven." Al stared at him and nodded slowly.

"My husband is seventeen and is going to be sent to Ishval soon to fight in a war that will break him."

"You and the colonel were married?" The younger asked, hurt invading his voice and Ed blushed lightly.

"We were going to wait until after the fight with Father to tell everyone. It was a bit of a spur of the moment decision to be honest. Bradley wed us a few nights before the fight and we decided it would be better to keep it to ourselves so no one would be distracted."

Al nodded and leaned against the older boy, glancing at the other's automail leg sadly.

"How are you going to hide your leg from mom?"

"I'm gonna wear pants. She doesn't bathe me anymore at this time, so it should be relatively simple until we can figure out how to explain it to her," He ran his hand through his long gold hair, frowning at the length.

"I don't want to cut my hair…but the length will make her suspicious."

Al smiled at his brother and couldn't help but agree. Ed's hair was one of the most constant things since that time so long ago and he would hate to see it go. "We can say it was an alchemy experiment gone wrong. We both know alchemy at this time."

Ed gave him a blinding smile and stood, gathering a change of clothes and turning to leave the room.

"Go get dressed, Al. Something tells me we have a lot to prepare for."

Grinning the youngest Elric gave his brother a mock salute and raced from the room, only to bump face first into someone else. The familiar scent of cinnamon and honey flooded his nose and longing filled his heart.

He was almost afraid to look up.

A soft laugh reached his ears and a gentle hand stroked his hair. He buried his face in her stomach and tried to fight back tears.

"Alphonse, what have I told you and your brother about running in the halls?" She scolded, but the amusement in her voice was almost palpable.

The dam broke and he whimpered. "Mommy."

* * *

Trisha blinked bewildered as she gathered the sobbing form of her youngest son in her arms. She hadn't been too harsh in her reprimand and she honestly hadn't minded, so she had no clue what had caused him to cry.

For a moment, she thought Ed had been being mean to his brother again, but he had been smiling before he ran into her, so she dismissed that thought.

"Alphonse? What's wrong, sweet heart?" She asked, trying to quench the panic flaring inside of her.

He shook his head and began to cry harder, clutching her as tight as his tiny hands could. Up ahead, the bathroom door opened and Ed exited, stilling at the sight of them. Something flashed in his eyes but was hidden before she could decipher it and his face morphed into a worried frown.

"Al?" He called and Alphonse's grip on her slackened only slightly.

"Brother?"

Her oldest smiled and walked over to them, gently running his hand through his brother's hair.

"Calm down, Al. You're alright. Everything's alright." He crooned and Al began to calm, looking up with watery bronze eyes.

"Promise?" He asked and there seemed to be so much loaded in that question, a message she couldn't understand. Ed, however, did judging by the way his amber eyes flashed.

"Of course." Al nodded and rested his head on her shoulder, his eyes half lidded, before popping back open when both his and his brother's stomach growled.

Trisha giggled, startled, but continued to glance between her boys, wondering what exactly she was missing…and how Ed's hair had grown so long.

* * *

"Major Mustang, pleased to see you again."

Roy fought a twitch at the title, having become so used to being called Colonel. Still he gave his former mentor a faux smile and nodded. Behind the man, Hawkeye gave a terse smile, fingers twitching toward a gun that wasn't there.

He understood the feeling.

All the same, he listened with half an ear as his 'mentor' told things he'd known for about ten years now, the secrets of Flame Alchemy, his mind wondering to a certain foul mouthed alchemist.

Who would be seven right now if he was correct.

Holy hell, he was married to a child.

Why wasn't he freaking out?

He sighed, tuning back in as Riza's father fell silent, the women standing with her back facing him, vivid red tattoos branding her otherwise smooth skin.

"When are you being sent out to fight?" Riza asked softly, the moment they were alone.

"Three weeks from now. You?"

"Same. My father is still unaware I've enlisted." She paused, frowning at her future superior. "Roy, what the hell is happening?"

He shrugged, a frustrated scowl on his face. "I don't know but when I see Ed I'm gonna kick his ass."

She raised an eyebrow, amusement gleaming in her honeyed gaze. "Ed?"

"Yes. Every time we end up in strange situations it's his fault."

 **TBC…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

It was three days before her parents let her out of their sight.

In that time, she'd had time to adjust to the disorientation that had befallen her upon waking in the past, as well as think analytically about her situation and she came to one major conclusion.

She was going to kill Ed.

All of this had something to do with his sacrifice to the Gate of that she was sure, but she had no idea why he'd be willing to go through everything all over again. Since her parents' deaths and the death of Trisha Elric they'd faced nothing but pain and more pain, Ed more than anyone. If she didn't know him as well as she did she would wonder what Truth had offered to convince him this was a clever idea but she already knew.

Al.

Everything Ed had done since that fateful day had been done to get Alphonse's body back from the Gate. If Truth had offered him that, she knew he would agree to anything it wanted.

Didn't mean she wasn't going to kick his ass, though.

Smirking, the little blond ran in the direction of the Elric home, her mother following leisurely behind her, wearing a warm smile.

As they approached, Winry slowed, her eyes widening as she took in the tall blonde man nearing the Elric's home.

Hoenhiem.

In their original timeline, the man hadn't returned until well into Ed's military career, which only stood to mean that he'd been sent back in time as well. Her mother was stunned as well, blue eyes widening.

"Van?"

He turned, startled, then smiled at them. "Sarah? How have you been?" He glanced down at her. "And Winry, as well?"

Winry pursed her lips, glaring up at him.

Al may have forgiven him, and Ed may be well on his way to it, but she refused to forgive him for abandoning Trisha the first time around. The woman was kind, and she hadn't deserved that kind of treatment.

"I've been fine." Sarah responded, sending her daughter a glance. "Winry has been ill recently, but she hasn't been over to play recently. I think she misses the boys."

He nodded, leading up the path, then knocking on the door.

For a moment, no one answered, then it opened and Winry's breath caught.

Trisha Elric stood in the doorway with a warm smile, her eyes widening as they moved from the Rockbells to meet the amber gaze of her husband.

"V-Van?" She whispered, smile falling and both time-travelers felt their heart stutter at the pain and hope in her voice.

Hoenhiem sent her a sad smile and pulled her into his arms, reveling in being able to hold her again.

"I shouldn't have left." He rumbled, stroking her hair as he felt her tremble minutely. Warmth spread across his shoulder from where her face was buried, and his heart broke at the soft sobs that left her.

"I missed you." She replied, voice muffled by his jacket.

Tiny footsteps sounded behind her and the couple broke away so that they could see who was approaching.

Al!

Pale flesh took the place of cold steel, bronze eyes widening under a short mess of dark blonde hair...Ed had done it.

Al had his body back.

"AL!" Winry cried, overjoyed at the discovery as she tackled her crush into a warm hug, marveling at the feel of flesh beneath her fingertips. He hugged back just as fiercely, awe in his gaze as he took in the feel of warmth, still marveling at the ability to feel sensations again.

When they pulled apart, the adults were watching them amused, both Trisha and Sarah's eyes gleaming as they looked at them.

"Where's Ed?" Winry asked and Al sighed.

"Where else?"

She groaned. "Library?"

"Library."

They turned and headed back into the house, shaking their heads, the laughter of their parents following them.

* * *

As they thought, they found the elder Elric brother in the Library, sitting in the middle of the floor. One book sat open in his lap along with a black, leather-bound notebook, while others lay scattered around him.

"Think he knows we're here?" Winry whispered and Al snorted.

"Nope. Watch. Hey Ed," He called. His brother didn't even look up.

"Hm?"

"Winry's here."

The older blonde hummed.

"She brought Dad."

"Okay."

"He made mom cry."

"That's nice."

Winry snickered.

"Wow, how does Mustang do it?"

Al shrugged. "I have no idea." His face scrunched up. "And I really don't wanna know."

Winry broke into peals of laughter at that, startling Ed, who blinked up at them owlishly.

"When did you guys get there?"

Al stared at him, then joined Winry in her laughter.

Ed watched them confused, then smiled.

It was nice to see Al smile again.

* * *

Ishval was every bit the hell he remembered it being.

The scent of blood and ash clung to his skin and he could feel the familiar tendrils of self-disgust welling in the pit of his stomach.

Beside him, he could see the same in the eyes of Riza and Hughes and he yearned to make it better but he couldn't. All he could do was shove it all down and bury it as deep in his psyche as possible and hope his husband would be able to forgive him for a second time.

He shot another wave of flames into the approaching masses and his onyx black eyes watered as the screams of the dying reached his ears, but he refused to let his tears fall. Not until he was alone in his bunk that night, with a bottle of whiskey in his hands and Riza's arms around him.

Only then would he be able to break.

" _ **I'm sorry, Ed. I'm so sorry."**_

* * *

 _ **It hurt.**_

 _ **It hurt so much.**_

 _ **They'd failed, and he could hear Al screaming in the distance and all he could feel was guilt.**_

 _ **How could he be so stupid?! So arrogant?!**_

 _ **How could he drag Alphonse into the darkness with him?**_

 _ **His golden gaze found the deformed monstrosity that their failure had created and he let out a broken sob.**_

 _ **Then Alphonse's screams fell silent and he jerked his head in his brother's direction just in time to see the gate swallow the last of the younger boy.**_

" _ **No!" He cried. "Give him back! Give him back!"**_

 _ **His hand slammed down on the still bloody transmutation circle and he screamed as the gate reappeared.**_

 _ **A warm light appeared and moving nearly on instinct, he drew a nearly forbidden array on the suit of armor lying on the floor beside him, ignoring the agony coursing through him as one of his arms was taken. Forcing the light into the array he collapsed to the floor, sobbing even as darkness encroached on him.**_

" _ **I'm sorry, Al. I'm so sorry."**_

Amber eyes flew open, staring blankly at the ceiling above them as a crimson tear left them.

"I'm sorry." He mouthed, and another tear followed, paying no heed to the glowing scarlet markings slowly appearing on his lightly tanned skin.

"I'm so sorry."

 **TBC…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"What was the exchange?"

Ed stared up at his father blankly, wondering why of the people in his life, the man didn't spark even a semblance of emotion in him.

Truth had warned him that becoming a living homunculus would dull his emotions to those that weren't his family, but he had expected Hohenheim to be one of the people that didn't. The man had always invoked strong emotions in him, from hatred to abandonment, his heart aching every time he thought of both of his parents and the times before the man had walked out of their life and he and Al had committed their taboo.

Now, as they stood in the man's study, there was nothing, not even a spark of the hatred he was used to whenever he saw the man.

He tilted his head, then sighed.

"There were multiple terms, mostly from Truth, not me."

Amber eyes, much like his own, drifted toward his arms, taking in the lack of steel, and thin wiry muscle.

"What happened at the Gate?"  
Al and Winry looked at him as well, the young couple having been silent as they watched the stared down between the two elder Elric males.

"Brother?" Al asked when it seemed Ed wouldn't respond.

Warmth flared in the homunculus' chest. "I tried to give up my alchemy to get Al's body back…Truth refused. Instead, it said we had been wrongly charged for your crimes," he shot his father a look, "so it offered an alternative. Al could have his body back if me, Al and five others were sent back to the past to relive our lives and try to prevent the war. I got to keep my arm."

Winry from and looked at his clothed legs, her blue eyes watering.

"What about your leg?"

He shrugged, unrepentant for his actions. "Still automail."

Hohenheim frowned. "Who were the five others?"

"You and Winry, obviously. Probably Riza, Roy, and Jean."

"Your team?"

Ed nodded, his heart clenching as he thought of the happenings of the moment.

His husband was stuck in a war that still haunted his dreams and he was stuck in a child's body, in a house full of ghosts and bad memories. The markings of the philosopher's stone within him burned on his skin, even though they were invisible to all but him. All the same, he couldn't find it in himself to regret what he did. He could only hope that Roy and the others would forgive him for making them relive the trauma they'd only just started to heal from.

His father stared down at him, lips pursed, then sighed.

"What else?"

"What else?" He parroted and the man nodded.

"What were the other terms?"

"There weren't any."

All three of the other time-travelers scowled at his blatant lie, but he didn't care. As long as Al and Roy were safe, he would do whatever he needed to do.

They didn't need to know the gritty details.

His eyes flashed in the low light of his father's office, and the philosopher stone's marking burned against his skin.

It was worth it.

All of it was worth it.

 ***/***

 _ **Roy,**_

 _ **By the time you get this your memories should be fully melded with your past self's. If so I just want to say, I'm so sorry.**_ _ **I just wanted**_ _ **Truth sent us back, that was the price that I paid to get Alphonse's body back. Me, you, Al, Winry, Havoc and Hawkeye. It was selfish and I should regret it but I...I don't. We have a second chance, another chance to save those we lost. To prevent Father from ever rising. I know you and the others have just started to heal from Ishval, and it hurts me more than you'll ever know to be the reason you have to be in that place again. I can only hope you forgive me. Stay strong.**_

 _ **I love you.**_

 _ **E.E**_

Onyx eyes softened as they took in the elegant scrawl written before him, almost able to hear his lover's voice as he read. The letter couldn't have come at a more perfect time.

He'd been drowning in this hell, surrounded by his living nightmares, and only Maes and Hawkeye had kept him from putting his service pistol to his head and pulling the trigger. That, and the belief that if he did, his angry pipsqueak of a husband would find him and bring him back for the express purpose of kicking his ass.

Reading the words on the paper, almost able to hear the sorrow and pain in them, he felt absolved. Like he could breathe.

Ed was safe.

He was here. He was _safe_ …

And he was hiding something.

He'd never seen the Gate, had never performed human transmutation, but he knew from the tales his husband had told him late at night that there was more a price than just reliving their lives and he would figure it out.

The sound of gunfire sounded outside his tent and he sighed, flinching at the screams that followed.

As soon as he left this godforsaken war.

Folding the letter, he pressed a chaste kiss to the paper and tucked it into his uniform jacket, hoping that he would live long enough to write his lover back.

It only occurred to him, as he was leaving the tent that the age difference was more pronounced now, and that his lover was a child once more.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the thought.

 ***/***

Screaming.

The sound rang throughout their small home awakening nearly all of the occupants in a panic.

Only one of them recognized the sound.

Brother!

Al shot up in his bed and looked over at his elder brother's to find the blonde asleep and thrashing violently. Sweat dotted the older male's skin as he screamed his agony to the world in a way he hardly ever did when he was awake.

Their bedroom door burst open, and their parents entered in a panic just as Ed shot awake.

His gold eyes were wide, but hollow, the scream stopping abruptly in the wake of his awareness.

"B-brother?" Al called, trembling slightly. Years had passed since his brother had sounded like that in one of his nightmares and he had only ever seen his brother's eyes so empty after Nina's death.

Slowly, as if moving through a sludge, the blonde looked up at him. Then around him, his gaze landing on their parents as if he didn't know them.

And didn't care to.

"Sorry."

"Wh-what was that?" Their mother whispered, teary eyes wide as she observed her eldest son. Al felt his heart clench.

Trisha Elric was one of Ed's biggest demons, especially as he'd been the only one to see the abomination their failed attempt at human transmutation had wrought. He'd been the one to kill the beast and clean it up before Al woke in the armor that had served as his prison and salvation every year afterwards.

A brittle smile crossed Ed's lips, so fake that everyone in the room nearly flinched away from him.

"Just...a really bad dream."

Liar.

Al looked away, wondering how much longer his brother would lie to them and why he had bothered to do so in the first place.

A sudden realization struck him.

Since their mother's death in their original lifetime, Ed had only ever lied to him to protect him and somehow he knew this was no different.

So, what was Ed protecting them from?

And why?

 **TBC...**


End file.
